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Updated on
August 28, 2007,
M.B.
asks from
Arlington Heights, IL
on
August 26, 2007

Baby with a Hoarse Throat

My husband and I have dedicated ourselves to the "Sleepeasy Solution" to try and get our son sleeping through the night. I really enjoy the authors and find that they really seem to be a balance between attachment style parenting and the cry-it-out people. We have been doing attachment style thus far - we haven't really let our baby cry at all and took him to bed with us most of the time - partly because it was so easy to get him to sleep and it was so convenient for nursing during the night. Nonetheless, we now are ready to get him sleeping in his own crib and feel that he is old enough to be weaned from his night feedings.

With this new process, there is crying involved and it seems like my son has gotten a bit of a soar/hoarse throat sound in his cry. Has this happened to anyone before? Was there anything you could do to soothe him? How long did it last? Tonight will be Night #4 for us and we are definitely seeing progress. I am just a little worried about the hoarseness.

Ithink thjat you are doing fine.Idid the same with mine and they turned out great.They do get hoarse sometimes but that will clear up.Ican not believe that other comment, Ithink that was VERY UNCALLED for.Good Luck......

What ever method you use is up to you and not anyone else. Emotionally speaking, my kids went to the same method and are FINE! They are now healthy and smart 5 and 6 years old. How you choose to put your child to sleep is up to you. A little hoarseness is just fine. With crying, that is bound to happen. Don't let others dictate what you do.

I'm not necessarily saying that a little crying is going to harm your son but just think how much crying YOU would have to do to become hoarse and look at it that way. It sounds horrible for you and for him. 5 1/2 months is pretty young to be weaned at night also. I night weaned my daughter at about 14 months and it wasn't a struggle at all, she didn't care. I knew that she was ready to sleep through the night, I had tried before and she wasn't ready. Take his cues, he's smarter than you think. Babies inherently know what they need, a lot more than we or any author does. Remember, your baby hasn't read all the books.
That being said, you know what is right for your son but just listen to your gut, not a book.

Since you are asking about the hoarseness, and not asking for people to judge you on the methods your family chooses (because only you know your family situation best), I'll respond to that.

If you're overly concerned about the hoarseness, contact your pediatrician. Although I don't know all the details of your situation, he should be fine. You say you are seeing great progress at day #4 (congratulations!!!), so you will likely see a change in the hoarseness as well soon.

I also have been doing attached parenting and co-sleep/nurse my baby throughout the night. I nurse my 6-month old to sleep around 8-8:30 and then put him in his own crib. If he happens to wake up before I go to bed I nurse him back to sleep and put him back in his bed, if he wakes up after I go to bed we begin co-sleeping for the night.
That might work for you--that way you both get a little of what you need.
Breastfed babies become very attached to nursing--mine won't be soothed by a pacifier/thumb/toy--it is boob or bust. I am curious, how can you feel comfortable letting him cry until he is hoarse after reading what Dr. Sear's says about the benefits of attached parenting and the negatives of not responding to your babies needs. And I second the comment regarding our Western culture being selfish.